Polk County To Open Sandbag Filling Stations Ahead Of Dorian

BARTOW, FL — Polk County plans to open six sandbag filling stations on Wednesday ahead of the potential threat from Tropical Storm Dorian.

"A maximum of 10 sandbags will be provided to each household to help prevent water intrusion into the home," officials said. See also Puerto Rico Braces For Dorian; FL Threat Unclear

The following locations were scheduled to open at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28. Each location will provide sand and sandbags, but not shovels:

• Mulberry – 900 NE 5th St., Mulberry, (863) 519-4734
• Lakeland – 8970 N. Campbell Road, Lakeland (863) 815-6701
• Fort Meade – 1061 NE 9th St., Fort Meade (863) 285-6588
• Frostproof – 350 County Road 630A, Frostproof (863) 635-7879
• Auburndale – 1701 Holt Road, Auburndale (863) 965-5524
• Dundee – 805 Dr. Martin Luther King St. SW, Dundee, (863) 421-3367

The sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday. Only the Fort Meade and Frostproof sites will be open on Friday.

"On Monday, only the Mulberry, Lakeland, Auburndale and Dundee sites will be open. However, this could change depending on the storm’s track and intensity," officials said.

Residents living in flood prone areas are encouraged to sandbag their homes. To protect against water damage, follow these simple sandbagging techniques.

Here's how to use the sandbags:

1. If not working on concrete, a small ditch should be dug just deep enough to go below ground level in places where water can enter a structure. The ditch should be back far enough from the entrance to allow room to place optional submersible or sump pumps into the protected area. The edge of the visqueen should be placed in the ditch as a bottom layer.

2. Place the first row of sandbags in ditch, fold visqueen over the top of first row, place a second row of bags on top, fold visqueen back over, place a third row of bags on top, and so on. This creates an "S" pattern with the visqueen.

3. Depending on the size of the barrier, one or more submersible pumps should be used. The barrier will not completely stop water from entering the protected area. However, with the proper placement of bags, visqueen and sump pumps, water, in most cases, can be removed quickly.